Blue Star Contemporary in San Antonio launches new podcast, The Artist’s Digest

Blue Star Contemporary in San Antonio launches new...

1of4Candace Hicks talks about “Secret Passage,” an exhibit of her work at Blue Star Contemporary, in the first installment of The Artist’s Digest, the space’s new podcast.Photo: Jacqueline Saragoza McGilvray /Blue Star Contemporary /

4of4Artist Rand Renfrow talks about "More Findings," an installation he created on display at Blue Star Contemporary, in the exhibition space's new podcast The Artist's Digest.Photo: Jacqueline Saragoza McGilvray /

On Blue Star Contemporary’s new podcast “The Artist’s Digest,” Jacqueline Saragoza asks artists about their practices and their work on display at the contemporary art center.

She does not ask about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on them or their work. The pandemic doesn’t play into the list of creative prompts that accompany the podcasts or the video version of the interviews, either.

“The reason we’re creating online content is specific to this context, but we don’t want it not to be useful to anybody beyond that,” McGilvray said. “For instance, the introduction to a video is not going to say, ‘Because of COVID-19, we’re making this video.’ That puts it in a bubble that it always exists in. And then also, when you’re engaging somebody, if that’s not already at the forefront of their mind, here’s another reminder, versus them putting their mind in a different gear for a little while.”

McGilvray launched the podcast to give folks a way to engage with Blue Star, where she is the curator and exhibitions manager, during this period when it cannot be visited in person. The video version of the podcasts are packed with images from the exhibits so listeners can see the work, too.

So far, she has talked to Candace Hicks and Rand Renfrow. Other podcasts will be posted as they are completed.

McGilvray would like to see the podcast, which is similar to an earlier online series that she did titled “Open Studios,” outlive the pandemic.

“I always kind of enjoyed those kinds of conversations with artists,” she said. “When you create the space for these conversations, there are always interesting things that come up about the work that you wouldn’t know otherwise.”

And there is an ever-growing list of projects for families looking for creative outlets, including directions for watercolor paintings of the solar system and butterfly shadow puppets.

“They’re inquiry-based,” said education manager Mari Hernandez. “Some are meant for elementary school students, and are being created while keeping in mind that a lot of them are not going to have access to a lot of art materials, so they’ll be able to use what they have at hand — toilet paper or paper towel rolls or a stick from outside. We’re trying to keep accessibility in mind.”

The site also has a downloadable coloring book filled with images of the Blue Star complex created by artist Alex Rubio, who works with teen artists in Blue Star’s MOSAIC program.

“We’re trying to get them thinking about art, to take a pause from everything that they’re going through right now and offer some moment of relief where they can think about something else,” Hernandez said. “We really do believe in the power of art, and we know that right now it is very needed so people have a moment of creativity that can encourage us to keep going and be hopeful.”

Presa House: The gallery is offering a virtual tour of “Homebound,” the solo thesis exhibition of Omar González, a master of fine arts degree candidate at UTSA. For the exhibit, González draws on his upbringing in rural South Texas. On view Friday-May 23 at presahouse.com.

Musical Bridges Around the World: The organization will livestream a musical comedy performance by violinist Brad Repp and pianist/actor Aldo Gentileschi, who perform as Duo Baldo. 7 p.m. Sunday, musicalbridges.org and on the group’s Youtube channel and on its Facebook page.

Artpace: The organization is launching a series of Virtual Studio Visits on its Instagram page. First up is Richie Budd, who was in residence in the fall of 2008. Budd creates interactive sculptural installations. Folks who want to get a sense of his work ahead of time can check out a gallery of images from “Absorbing Liminal Homeostasis,” the exhibit he created during his residency, at artpace.org. The series launches at 6 p.m. Thursday at instagram.com/artpace.

Woodlawn Theatre: The theater will start offering online courses for adults Monday as part of the Leg Up classes taught at the Woodlawn Academy. Offerings for those ages 18 and up include dance lessons and a musical theater class, all conducted over Zoom. Fees are assessed monthly, starting at $60 for one one-hour class each week. Registration is available on the Academy site.

Magik Theatre: The children’s theater company is adding a few things to its virtual offerings. There’s a new Family Dance Party, which streams live at 7 p.m. Fridays on the theater’s Facebook page. And the company has launched the Magik E-cademy, online classes aimed at youngsters ages 6 to 8 and 9 to 12. Tuition costs $150. Registration is available at magiktheatre.org.

Outside S.A.

Metropolitan Opera: The company is streaming archival productions nightly at 6:30 p.m. through its website and on its app. Each production can be viewed for 23 hours, its run ending an hour before the new work launches. Opera buffs can watch “Marnie” on Thursday, “Aida” Friday, “Luisa Miller” Saturday and “Prince Igor” Sunday. Available at metopera.org.

24 Hour Plays: The New York-based program presents works written, rehearsed and produced in 24 hours around the world. Its latest offering is “Viral Monologues,” an addictive series of bite-sized videos on Instagram. Offerings include “Dolly Parton Saved My Life” by Jacqueline Goldfinger performed by Joel Marsh Garland; “Seder Preamble,” written by Daniel Goldfarb and performed by Tony Shalhoub; and “Toilet Paper Kayak,” written by Sarah Gancher and performed by Dylan and Becky Ann Baker. Available at instagram.com/24hourplays.

Deborah Martin is an arts writer who came to work for the San Antonio Express-News in 1999. She writes primarily about theater – she sees around 100 shows annually -- and helps oversee the paper’s coverage of the fine performing arts. Her first newspaper job was with the El Paso Herald-Post, where she worked as a general assignment reporter before becoming arts and entertainment editor. After the Herald-Post closed, she spent just over a year covering the arts for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times before coming to the Express-News. She has a degree in journalism from UT El Paso, and was a fellow in the NEA Arts Journalism Institute in Theater and Musical Theater at the University of Southern California in 2007.